December 2009 Edition - Access Press

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Inside

History Note

“Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.”

■ Class divide noted–pg 3 ■ Gerald Walsh–p 2, 7 ■ Charlie awards–pp. 8-9

— Dale Evans Rogers Page 2 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Mpls. MN Permit No. 4766 Return Service Requested

Volume 20, Number 12

Minnesota’s Disability

Legislative agenda is set

Community Newspaper

December 10, 2009

WORDS!

by Jane McClure Changes to the personal care assistant (PCA) program will top the disability community’s priorities when the 2010 Minnesota Legislature is gaveled into session Feb. 4. PCA issues lead an ambitious legislative agenda adopted by the Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (MnCCD). Work is currently underway to prepare specific bills, offer support to proposed legislation and organize for events that start in January.

It’s important for the disability community to go to the capitol with a proactive agenda, said Mn-CCD CoChair Steve Larson, public policy director of the Arc of Minnesota. The legislative agenda adopted Nov. 19 provides that framework, with information on topics including housing, transportation, employment, health care, quality assurance, education and other issues.

The 2010 session is a shorter session, said Larson. It is a non-budget year, although legislators will be focused on the state’s projected budget deficit.

Hearings on some issues will start in January. Since July policy committees have met to discuss specific issues and ways the issues could be addressed by state lawmakers.

Some of the issues will become legislation. Others may have to be handled administratively, said Mn-CCD CoChair Jeff Nachbar, who is public policy director for the Brain Injury Association of Minnesota. “We can’t address every single issue on this list,” Nachbar said.

PCA services are shaping up to be one of the 2010 session’s flash points. Much of the Nov. 19 Mn-CCD discussion focused on cuts to the PCA program, and how the cuts made this year will have

far-reaching consequences.

The cuts affect Minnesotans of all ranges, with a wide range of disabilities.

Cuts to the program that were made by the 2009 Legislature will affect more than 8,000 Minnesotans. Although cuts are not supposed to start until January, discussion at the Mn-CCD meeting indicates there is already confusion.

Some said they are aware of services that have already been cut. Others said that scheduling appeals with the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is a problem.

“By February, peoples’ PCA hours will have been cut and services terminated,” said attorney Anne Henry. One message Mn-CCD must deliver this legislative session is that the cuts will have the consequence of forcing people into more costly nursing home care and out of their own homes.

Agenda - cont. on p. 12

People First of New Ulm’s, The United We Stand Players present an original play, “WORDS!” This play focuses on the use of hurtful words in society and what one group of people decided to do about it. The performance features the short film, “Offense Taken”, showing the efforts that Minnesota self-advocates have led to educate people about words that hurt. Tickets are $10 per person. The event is 2 p.m. Sat., Dec. 12 at Crowne Plaza St. Paul Riverfront Hotel, 11 E. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul. FFI: Kathy, 651-641-0297 or act@selfadvocacy.org

Mn/DOT Community Partnership celebrates anniversary Joint effort yields 30 new recruits from diverse backgrounds

By Access Press staff Helping people with disabilities find employment is the focus of the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) Community Advisors on Recruitment and Retention Solutions (MnCARRS) program. MnCARRS marked its one-year anniversary on Nov. 13, with a celebration that highlighted program achievements.

MnCARRS is a community partnership composed of Mn/ DOT employees and community leaders representing minority communities’ women, veterans and people with disabilities. This collaboration was created to build recruitment partnerships between Mn/DOT and communities that are underrepresented.

Through these efforts more than 30 minority communities members were referred and placed; among them, four from the disability community.

“This is one of MnDOT’s

steps in building lasting relationships within the various underrepresented communities in Minnesota,” said Eric Davis, Mn/DOT human resources director. “MnCARRS provides an opportunity for candidates to fill positions throughout the entire agency— not just engineering jobs or snowplow operator openings.

The diverse employment participation isn’t what we want it to be at Mn/DOT.” Mn/DOT’s Recruitment Programs Manager Emma Corrie said “This is the first time we have had such a diverse applicant/hiring pool for these jobs.”

One hope those involved in MnCARRS have for this avantgarde model of collaboration between government agencies is that it could work beneficially for a number of government agencies. Recently, after learning of some of the MnCARRS efforts, Mn/DOT

was approached by the Department of Human ServicesMinnesota Family Investment Program (DHS-MFIP) program and Ramsey County about employee recruitment.

Now, Mn/DOT has a contract with DHS and Ramsey County to assist MFIP recipients in gaining employment at Mn/ DOT locations across the state.

“The beauty of this program is that individual organizations were able to look at the business needs of Mn/DOT and recruit individuals that would meet those needs and supply support services that would increase retention of the candidates,” said Steve Kuntz of Minnesota Rehabilitative Services. Heidi Bryand was hired temporarily as an office administrative specialist by Mn/ DOT. After three months she was hired as a permanent employee. Bryand, who has a disability, says “the most challenging part of her job is calm-

to learn about operations and portation specialist series ing down irate callers and dihelp them recruit qualified and other positions. recting them to the right agency candidates within their comto solve their immediate road • The group was actively inmunities. Recent visits were volved with the recruitment needs. The most satisfying “is to Mn/DOT truck stations for the recent transportation being employed and part of a and snow plow operator associate positions filled by team that can see their accomtraining tour at Camp Ripley.

MnDOT Metro Mainteplishments.” nance. Of the 73 candidates • MnCARRS was a major reMnCARRS members serve source while Mn/DOT rehired, 30 MnCARRS referas recruiters within their own cruited for the commercial rals were hired statewide communities for Mn/DOT driver’s license training pisince October 2008 jobs. Since the group formed, lot program at Century Colmembers have attended career • MnCARRS members have lege. Three additional hosted meetings providing fairs, job information events classes are scheduled for Mn/DOT with an opportuand mock interview sessions 2010 nity to learn more about their at various locations. The group employment opportunities. • A MnCARRS team memis involved in the entire conber is now formally assistMeetings have been held at tinuum from recruitment—to ing Mn/DOT Human Rethe Minneapolis Urban selection—to mentoring indisources staff with integratLeague, Hmong American viduals on the job after they Partnership, Chicanos ing diversity into the comare hired.

Latinos Unido en Servicio petency-based interview CLUES, Summit Academy training for supervisors.

Highlights of the past year inOpportunities Industrializa- • MnCARRS serves as a posiclude: tion Center (OIC), Ameritive voice within a larger • Effective representation of can Indian OIC, Merrick diverse community about minority communities, Community Center and East Mn/DOT and its efforts to women, veterans and people Metro OIC. diversify its workforce and with disabilities. The group partner with their communihas served as a valuable re- • MnCARRS members have ties. ■ visited Mn/DOT locations cruitment resource for trans-

2

December 10, 2009

Tim Benjamin, Editor I started last month’s column with some thoughts about the Charlie Smith award banquet. Then it was only a few days away, and I promised that this month I would fill you in on all that happened.

Well, the night was a fabulous success! We had one room where the silent auction and raffle was held, and as people started filling up that room, the wall that separated the dining area from the bar and raffle area was pushed

aside, revealing a massive room with tables set with flowers. The Larry McDonough jazz band played snappy tunes as people found their tables and food began to be served. The food was very good (at a banquet!)—the salad was fresh and cold and the entrées were hot and wellseasoned.

Access Press board chair, Mike Chevrette emceed and expressed the board’s thanks for all the work of volunteers and staff, both for a terrific evening and for all they do for Access Press. Then the main event began, as Pamela Hoopes from the Disability Law Center introduced Anne Henry, the 2009 Charlie Smith Award winner, to an exuberant crowd. Henry gave a captivating and thoughtprovoking speech, explaining the seven challenges that she sees shaping the future of the disability community. We’ve printed her remarks in this issue on pages 8 and 9. Be sure to check out what one of the most progressive thinkers in

our community has to say about the road ahead.

What might seem like a small thing was one of the memorable aspects about this fabulous evening for me and others in wheelchairs: the amount of room that everyone had. I have never been to a banquet that was so easy to maneuver around; I have never been able to navigate through tables and visit people in a banquet setting like I did the night of the Charlie Smith award. Our board and staff planned this event making sure that everything would go as smoothly and comfortably as possible, and it did. Those who attended were still smiling as they left, and dozens of them had the satisfaction of having won special items in the silent auction and raffle. I’m grateful to the board and our staff, and we all extend our thanks to the hundreds of folks who attended and gave generously to Access Press.

It was great to see all the friendly faces. Thank you to all who came! One last per-

sonal note: I’m still looking forward to making all the contacts that I promised throughout the evening. I will be calling or e-mailing to set up meetings, and I look forward to them.

Gerald Walsh, who died last month, is the person highlighted in this month’s history note. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Walsh, for his research and his ability to persuade legislators to do the right thing for all people with disabilities and developmental disabilities. Walsh made history in his own lifetime.

The word everybody’s using these days to predict the upcoming legislative session is grueling. Our legislators have a lot of tough decisions to make this session. On the front page we have highlighted the position papers of the Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (Mn-CCD).

Mn-CCD’s papers detail how much our legislators have to learn about the economic, healthcare, and social needs of people with all kinds of

disabilities. I’m hearing that the cuts that are about to take place could be devastating for some in our community. We all have to get involved. If we don’t speak out at the Capitol, much of the forward movement on equal rights will be lost. The planned cuts to General Assistance Medical Care alone (GAMC) are going to have serious impact on many in the disability community.

The unfunding of GAMC is also going to overwhelm many city and county governments that will have to assume much of the responsibility for taking care of the medical needs of the poorest Minnesotans.

MinnesotaCare should not have been the answer proposed by state government as a stopgap for the unfunded GAMC. MinnesotaCare is a good program but many of the people who were served by GAMC will not be eligible for MinnesotaCare. For one thing you have to have a stable address, and for another, many of these people cannot even afford a dollar co-pay for their

medications.

So let’s all do each other a favor and get involved at the Capitol. Get involved as well in the local advocacy group that most fit your needs. You don’t have to go it alone. Give them a call and ask how you can get involved. Even if you think your story is not “unique” or worthy of attention, it is! Write up a testimony of how these cuts have affected, or would threaten, your independent living and send it to the legislators. This is the most effective way of advocacy, without even leaving your house. Before you finish reading Access Press every month, review our events calendars, and plan to join many of the disability agencies that will be having days at the Capitol, as well as informational seminars that we all can attend.

Happy holidays to all readers of Access Press. We appreciate your support and wish you all good things in 2010. ■

History Note

Gerald Walsh led The Arc in major change of course

by Luther Granquist In the 1950s and 1960s the Minnesota Association for Retarded Children, led by Gerald Walsh, prepared most and instigated all of the studies and reports used by the legislature and the governor to formulate state policy regarding persons with developmental disabilities. In multiple studies The Arc documented the need for new buildings at Faribault and Cambridge State Hospitals, the need to build Brainerd State Hospital, and the need for increased staff at all three institutions.

Walsh died last month at age 88.

On a trip to England and Scandinavia in 1966, Walsh

observed persons with disabilities living in smaller settings.

He reported that in five weeks there “I saw no barefooted, naked, cut or bruised patients.”

He came back convinced that living in large institutions with large dormitories and day rooms harmed both children and adults. In a film, “To Bridge the Gap,” he contrasted “herd care” at Faribault State Hospital with the smaller programs he observed abroad. He brought Scandinavian leaders here to tour our institutions and programs and to present to state leaders a better way of providing for persons with disabilities. Armed with this information, Walsh and other

The Arc leaders persuaded the Department of Public Welfare to forego building large buildings at large institutions.

For the next four years, Walsh and The Arc leaders proposed that any additions to the state institutions be smaller buildings for no more than 16 to 20 persons. But other work that Walsh and The Arc had done in the 1950s and 1960s to expand special education programs and to provide community-based day programs for persons with developmental disabilities demonstrated that the state should not expand the institutions in any way. On April 15, 1970, Walsh and The Arc

Access Press Co-Founder/Publisher (1990-1996) .................................................. Wm. A. Smith, Jr. Co-Founder/Publisher/Editor-in-Chief (1990-2001) ....................... Charles F. Smith Board of Directors . Brigid Alseth, Mike Chevrette, Kelly Matter, Christen Munn, Anita Schermer, Carrie Selberg, Tom Squire and Kay Willshire Editor ......................................................................................................... Tim Benjamin Assistant Editor ......................................................................................... Jane McClure Business Manager ................................................................................. Dawn Frederick Cartoonist ..................................................................................................... Scott Adams Production ...................................................... Ellen Houghton at Presentation Images Distribution ......................................................................................... S. C. Distribution Advertising Sales Manager ................................................................... Raymond Yates Access Press is a monthly tabloid newspaper published for persons with disabilities by Access Press, Ltd. Circulation is 10,000, distributed the 10th of each month through more than 200 locations statewide. Approximately 650 copies are mailed directly to individuals, including political, business, institutional and civic leaders. Subscriptions are available for $30/yr. Low-income, student and bulk subscriptions are available at discounted rates.

Editorial submissions and news releases on topics of interest to persons with disabilities, or persons serving those with disabilities, are welcomed. We reserve the right to edit all submissions. Editorial material does not necessarily reflect the view of the editor/publisher of Access Press.

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withdrew support for construction of any new buildings at Cambridge State Hospital.

The Arc President Molly Woehrlin and William McFadzean, President of the Minnesota Association for Mental Health, presented Gov. Harold LeVander with a joint statement calling state hospitals “an anachronism in today’s concept of proper care for mentally retarded and mentally ill people.” Walsh emphasized to The Arc members, not all of whom supported the joint statement, which this action resulted from their “years of study of the present system of services.” That day marked the beginning of the end of Minnesota’s institutional system for persons with developmental disabilities.

The film “To Bridge the Gap” may be seen on the Minnesota Developmental Dis-

Gerald Walsh; the man with a blueprint plan for people with disabilities. abilities website. http://www. mnddc.org/parallels2/one/ video/video18-bridge.html Several of Gerald Walsh’s written reports are available on With an Eye to the Past on that website. ■

The History Note is a monthly column sponsored by the Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities, www.mncdd.org and www. partnersinpolicymak ing.com

December 10, 2009

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Commentary

Health care reform debate illustrates class divide!

Spend-Down is a phrase of professional jargon that should not exist. It is legislated poverty imposed on the poorest and most vulnerable to allegedly help pay for the “services” which the disabled poor need to adapt to their disabilities. A Spend-Down means that the State of Minnesota takes a large percent of money from my Social Security Income, in my case it is around 35% of my $1010 monthly check. It is not breaking news that you cannot survive on $1010 a month in this culture. Much less is it possible to survive on the six hundred and something dollars, which the state Legislature has demanded that I live on. Gandhi has called poverty the worst form of violence.

For the Minnesota Legislature to impose this foot on the neck poverty on disabled and old people repeatedly session after session speaks to the way that people with disabilities

are fodder to keep “helping professions” working and the reality of how we do things in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

The Health Care Bill that has America so sharply divided is really conflict between the rich and the poor. That class divide is played out in the Minnesota Spend-Down. To provide a safety net for health care and to guard against a painful level of poverty is fought against with the frightening word “Socialism.” It is much more American to allow certain few people to make millions of dollars and keep the mass of disabled people down and take from them in an economy of scale. Some people are forced into nursing homes because they cannot survive on the money the state allows them to have.

There is no unity of disabled and old people to fight together. The two groups do not

identify with each other. There are more than enough people in those two groups to politically demand a life of dignity and equality. Nor do disabled people identify with each other except as idiosyncratic disabilities through organizations run by “professional helpers.”

This division of disabilities keeps the “helpers” working since American manufacture and agriculture has been exported to other countries.

People need to make a living and more than 60% of America today work in “service” jobs.

Caesar said, “Divide and conquer.” That division is good for the “professional helpers” who run the organizations but the separation keeps disabled people debilitated. There was a hint of unity around the time of the passage of the American’s With Disabilities Act [1990] in the 1980s. Little has changed—really—in the al-

Disability parking: Know the rules Hundreds of thousands of individuals with disabilities in the State of Minnesota have valid disability parking certificates; far fewer have disability license plates. The vast majority of people using disability parking certificates and plates are older individuals; as our society ages, the number of users is expected to grow dramatically. It’s more important than ever to park and drive responsibly, and know the rules. We as a community need to be considerate, responsible and legal when using disability parking.

• Disability parking spaces must be kept clear of snow and ice. According to Minnesota Statute 169.346, Dis-

ability Parking Areas. Subd. • If you are not driving a 2a. “Parking space free of lift or ramp-equipped van obstruction; penalty. The and there are other disowner or manager of the ability parking spaces property on which the desavailable, please do not ignated parking space is lopark in the van-accessible cated shall ensure that the space. The van-accessible parking space and associspace has an 8-foot access ated access aisle are kept aisle and when you deploy free of obstruction. If the a ramp or lift off the side of owner or manager does not a van, you need the space.

Get into the practice of lookhave the parking space ing for the van-accessible properly posted or allows spaces and if you don’t need the parking space or access the extra space, leave it for aisle to be blocked by snow, someone who does! merchandise, or similar obOn a related note, the structions for 24 hours after building code was amended receiving a warning from a in 2007 to require all new peace officer, the owner or and reconfigured or redemanager is guilty of a missigned disability parking demeanor and subject to a spaces to have an 8 foot fine of up to $500.”

Parking - cont. on p. 14

most 30 years that I have been disabled.

In fact I’d say it is slightly worse because I see no unity or belief that we can have lives. I live in unconscionable poverty partly because of the Minnesota State Legislature. My pal Larry Kegan, a quad and at

an earlier time a disability leader, said about the ADA “So what’s different? Maybe you can ride the bus now.” We need to unite without able-bodied “professional helpers” to

decide what we can say, or what issues we want to address, and to keep us divided.

We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

Billy Golfus, Minneapolis ■

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December 10, 2009

Unallotment leads to legal challenge Budget cuts made by Gov. Tim Pawlenty without legislative approval landed in court Nov. 16, as a judge weighed whether to temporarily restore money to a food program for the poor amid a challenge to the governor’s authority. The program serves low-income people, many with disabilities.

The court challenge stems from $2.7 billion in cuts the Republican governor announced this summer to balance the budget. He took the action using unallotment, an executive power that allows the governor to trim spending on his own, after he and the Democratic-controlled Legislature failed to agree on a budget.

Lawyers for both sides warned Ramsey County District Judge Kathleen Gearin of the potential effects of her decision.

Galen Robinson, who represents six elderly or disabled people who lost a monthly state stipend that helps cover special diets, said his clients and others in the $5.3 million program will face extreme hardship if the cut isn’t overturned.

Most, he said, have income of less than $800 a month and diets that cost $300 or more.

Patrick Robben, an attorney for Pawlenty, said the state will have trouble paying its bills if Gearin rules against the administration because others hit by cuts would see even a temporary restraining order as

an invitation to file similar lawsuits.

“Your honor is going to be running the state budget right out of this courtroom,” Robben said.

Robben and state Solicitor General Alan Gilbert asked Gearin to dismiss the case altogether.

Pawlenty has used the unallotment law twice before and prevailed in a lawsuit attempting to block cuts he made in 2003.

What’s different in this case is how Pawlenty invoked the power. Lawmakers sent Paw-

“‘I’m merely a way station on the road to appellate courts,’ said Judge Gearin” lenty a full set of tax and spending bills, which he signed except for a bill that raised taxes to erase a projected deficit.

Rather than calling the Legislature into a special session to balance the budget, he used his executive power to make cuts of his choosing.

Robinson said Pawlenty misused the unallotment law, which has typically been used on an emergency basis toward the end of a two-year budget period to patch holes. This time, the cuts were announced at the beginning of the 20102011 budget.

“There are other ways to deal with this before we get to ‘The sky is falling down,’” Robinson said, arguing Pawlenty could have called a special session or waited until lawmakers returned for the 2010 session to work out a fix.

The plaintiffs are also attempting to preserve property tax credits they normally get for being renters, a budget item Pawlenty also reduced.

Gearin didn’t say when she would rule, but said a case involving constitutional separation of powers gives her extra reason to “tread very lightly.” She also acknowledged that her ruling probably won’t be the last word in the case. “I’m merely a way station on the road to appellate courts,” she said at the hearing’s outset.

Just before the court hearing started, the House Rules Committee voted 14-8 along party lines to submit a brief in support of the lawsuit. The brief will be prepared by nonpartisan staff.

Democrats who run the committee denied they were wading into the dispute as a way to poke Pawlenty. They said it’s a reasonable and cost-efficient way to weigh in on the separation-of-powers issue.

“This is not about right versus left,” said House Majority Leader Tony Sertich of Chisholm. “It is right versus wrong.”

Republicans say the House should stay out of the court fight. They say if Democrats have problems with the way Pawlenty employed the unallotment law, they can try to change it.

[Source: Associated Press]

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Cuts will hurt state’s poor Cuts to state funding will have a major impact on Hennepin County Medical Center and the many poor and uininsured patients it serves.

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners approved the 2010 Health Services Plan submitted by Hennepin Healthcare System Inc., (HHS) the public corporation that governs day-to-day operations of Hennepin County Medical Center.

HHS operates as a subsidiary under the auspices of the County Board, which has final approval of HCMC’s mission, policy, budget, major capital improvements, significant debt or venture, and the Health Services Plan, which describes the role HCMC/HHS plays in service to the community.

The plan cites “the very constrained budget” that has resulted from the loss of the statefunded General Assistance Medical Care Program (GMAC), and that a variety of economic factors has “altered the trajectory for health service planning and severely threatened our ability to meet our health services objectives.”

HCMC is faced with the loss of $43 million in 2010 payments with the termination of GAMC, a total of $73 million in reduced revenue for the current biennium. The report cites “a budgeting conundrum and potentially an operational crisis” and outlines services that may need to be curtailed. A crisis at safety-net hospitals will immediately impact the poor, but also will affect the middle class as services become more limited and fewer health professionals are trained.

HCMC serves 20 percent of those enrolled in state health care assistance programs. It is the state’s largest health provider for the poor; nearly half its patients are low-income.

Mental health services continue to operate at capacity.

It’s estimated that 60 percent or more of GAMC patients have mental illness, chemical dependency, or both. In 2008 and 2009, HCMC provided

service to patients from every county in the state. Approximately 20 percent of HCMC’s patients were born in other countries. The hospital has recently experienced a 29 percent increase in International Clinic volume.

It is also an important training hospital. Nearly half the state’s practicing physicians have received training at HCMC, and 67 percent of doctors who graduate will establish practice in Minnesota.

HCMC also annually trains more than 1,800 students in more than 50 other health professions, including nursing and lab technicians, paramedics and other first responders.

A wave of cost-cutting that has rippled across Minnesota’s health care system, from clinics to med-tech companies to insurers, has arrived at the doorstep of this premier public institution—a facility that treats 480,000 patients annually, trains 300 medical residents at any one time and serves as the state’s leading safetynet hospital.

Already this year, the hospital has cut 200 positions and slashed overtime. It is poised to shed more jobs and services as it braces for another $43 million cut in revenue when the state terminates a key program for the indigent.

Doctors say a cut that size would threaten the hospital’s very mission: treating everyone who walks in regardless of ability to pay. It would “tip this hospital over and create a crisis,” said Dr. Joseph Clinton, chief of emergency medicine. “It would mean unacceptable deaths for patients who can’t get care.”

Gov. Tim Pawlenty has struggled to close a record state budget deficit, including cutting funds for health care. Last winter, HCMC lost $12 million of state funding in a budget process known as unallotment.

Next, the governor eliminated GAMC, a relatively unusual state program that covers the very poor who are not eligible for Medicaid. That

program will end March 1, and most of its 36,000 recipients will be temporarily rolled into a health plan for the working poor, MinnesotaCare. But after that, advocacy groups worry that this population— many chronically ill, with mental health and chemical dependency problems, will fall through the cracks.

HCMC estimates it would lose $43 million in reimbursements next year and another $50 million in 2011, the biggest budget cuts in its history, if GAMC disappears.

“These were difficult decisions, but they were necessary in order to balance the state budget during a time of unprecedented economic challenges,’’ Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said.”Even with reductions to some programs, Minnesota has among the most generous publicly subsidized health care and safety-net programs in the nation.’’

Regions Hospital is facing similar problems. The former St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Center is now owned by HealthPartners, but continues to serve a significant low-income population.

Regions expect to lose $24 million next year when GAMC goes away and $26 million in 2011. Officials there have already shelved plans for a new mental health center, even though the current one, housed in 40-year-old former nursing quarters, is bursting at the seams. Next month, officials are expected to propose additional cuts for 2010.

Advocacy groups predict ripple effects across the state.

GAMC patients aren’t going to just disappear, said Becky Lentz, a spokeswoman for Catholic Charities. Food shelves, homeless shelters and community health centers, as well as police, will have their hands full with the drug-addicted and the mentally ill who will be off their medications and on the streets, she warned.

[Source: Hennepin County, Star Tribune]

December 10, 2009

5

6

December 10, 2009

Regional news in review . . .

Settlement given to deaf worker An apprentice sheet metal worker from St. Paul will get $48,500 to settle a complaint that union leaders repeatedly refused to give him field assignments because he is deaf.

Michael Sherman, who logged more than 4,400 hours as an apprentice, was unfairly discriminated against by officials with the Sheet Metal Workers’ Union Local 10 and an affiliated Joint Training and Apprenticeship Committee, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.

“The department’s investigation found that stereotypes about deafness had led to a feeling among local industry professionals that deaf persons should not work in the field,’’ the department announced last month. State investigators concluded that union officials failed to identify the kinds of work Sherman could have performed in the field and did not take steps to help him communicate with other workers, such as providing a pager that would vibrate instead of issuing a warning beep.

Investigators also discovered that another deaf apprentice working outside the metro area was allowed to work in the field and perform tasks, such as welding, that don’t require oral communication.

Union officials agreed to pay the money without admitting to any wrongdoing. Sherman declined to comment. He had started his apprenticeship in May 2005.

After Sherman became an apprentice in May 2005, officials had expressed concerns for his safety due to his disability. After completing temporary shop assignments, Sherman discovered that he’d been repeatedly passed over for jobs. Union officials told him that he would not be given assignments in the field because of his disability.

In making its decision, the state pointed out that the union did not consult with experts who specialize in accommodations for deaf workers. The settlement also requires the union to hold training for managers and supervisors on the Minnesota Human Rights Act and to reexamine its policies about accommodating people who have disabilities.

Marty Strub, the union president, said the union has other deaf members, but none of them has expressed dissatisfaction with working conditions. The union has between 4,500 and

5,000 members across Minnesota, South and North Dakota and part of Wisconsin.

As part of the settlement, Sherman agreed to resign from the union and never seek sheet metal work with any companies under contract with Local 10.

[Source: Star Tribune]

Twice the Gift has new management Partnership Resources, Inc. (PRI), a non-profit agency serving adults with developmental disabilities, has taken over the ownership and management of the retail operation and web site development of Twice the Gift. The change was announced by the Pohlad Family Foundation.

Twice the Gift is a seasonal retail shop in the IDS Center Crystal Court, 80 S. 8th St. It is open through the December holiday season, Mon-Sat 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sun noon-5 p.m.

It showcases the products and services provided by more than 60 Twin Cities nonprofit organizations, including many organizations that serve people with disabilities. At Twice the Gift, shoppers can select a meaningful gift for loved ones and/or business associates that will benefit others in the community.

The shop is underwritten by the Pohlad Family Foundation with 100% of the proceeds benefiting participating nonprofit organizations providing the gift or service.

[Source: Pohlad Family Foundation]

Restructured transit service to start New fares for dial-a-ride services throughout the Twin Cities region will go into effect on Jan. 1. That’s when the phase-in of restructured, region-wide Transit Link service throughout the seven-county metropolitan area will begin. The Metropolitan Council approved the fares in November. The fare structure is the final standard operating guideline for the new region-wide diala-ride service. Dial-a-ride service is minibus or van service for members of the general public. It is different from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-certified services provided by Metro Mobility, which serves riders who need additional assistance due to physical, cognitive or psychological limitations.

These dial-a-ride changes do not affect ADA transit service.

New fares are based on the distance traveled. For trips less than 10 miles, passengers will pay $2.25 each way. For trips between 10 and 20 miles, the fare will be $4.50 each way. And for trips greater than 20 miles, riders will pay $6.75 each way.

Transfers are free, and discounts are available for group trips.

ADA-certified riders pay a maximum of $4.50 per direction, regardless of distance.

The restructuring effort, which began in 2008, aimed to deliver dial-a-ride transit services that are equally available to all members of the general public throughout the seven-county metropolitan area where regular route transit service is not available. Dial-a-ride services are intended to supplement regular routes, rather than duplicate them.

In addition, the effort will establish a consistent set of operating parameters—such as a single phone number for reservations, consistent hours of operation and a uniform window for advanced trip reservations—for all providers throughout the region.

“We’ve had a patchwork quilt of dial-a-ride service throughout the region without defined criteria for which communities could have service,” said Metropolitan Council Chair Peter Bell. “The new Transit Link service reduces the number of providers and standardizes how service is provided.”

More than 450,000 riders used dial-a-ride services in the seven-county metro area during 2008.

The transition between current dial-a-ride providers and the switch to new Transit Link services will occur throughout the metro area over the first five months of 2010. New guidelines and fares will take effect in Anoka, Carver and Scott counties on Jan. 1. These three areas currently operate their own transit services and will continue to operate dial-a-ride services under the new structure. In addition, four metro-area counties – Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, and Washington – have chosen the Metro Council to operate dial-a-ride services in their area. As contracts for service in these areas come up for renewal, vendors chosen will operate under the Transit Link parameters and fare structure. New contracts for these communities will be in place on the following timeline: In Review - cont. on p. 15

December 10, 2009

7

People and places

News about people in our community compiled by Access Press staff

Jerry Walsh was The Arc pioneer Jerry Walsh, who helped build The Arc of Minnesota into a statewide advocacy network on behalf of persons with developmental disabilities and create the foundations for the service system in Minnesota today, died Nov. 4. He was 88.

The Arc of Minnesota hired Walsh in 1957 as executive director to lead a previously all-volunteer organization.

Ten years later, the number of local chapters had more than quadrupled, and the membership had grown five-fold.

Eighty counties are now served

by The Arc chapter.

Under Walsh, The Arc not only became a statewide presence, but a statewide force in the halls of Minnesota government. Within his first year, Minnesota passed a groundbreaking law requiring special education services for students with mild intellectual disabilities. By 1967, the number of students receiving special education services had more than doubled to 8,000.

In the early 1960’s, he built on this success, as Minnesota approved state funding for day programs. Later that decade, he and other staff and volunteers from The Arc of Minnesota helped raise awareness of the crowded, inhumane living conditions in Minnesota’s institutions.

Walsh also helped transform the way we think about and provide services to people with developmental disabilities. In 1966, Walsh took a five-week tour of programs in six European nations. There he observed services that were smaller and more homelike and that provided more support and training than the bare minimum care provided in Minnesota institutions. It didn’t take long to realize, he wrote after his trip, that “we in Minnesota have a lot of catching up to do in the area of residential care and community services …there is much, much more that we could be doing in Minnesota… not some time in the future, but now…”

In 1967, he brought Bengt Nijre, one of Europe’s leading thinkers on services to people with developmental disabilities, to Minnesota to speak to Arc chapters and policymakers about the need for change.

Walsh also served on numerous committees that urged the governor and state departments to improve services.

His success came from building a strong grassroots network of The Arc chapters and public policy advocates and by using innovative advocacy techniques. When he discovered it was difficult to convince state legislators to visit state hospitals and observe the conditions there, he was undeterred. He, his staff, and volunteers invited wives of legislators instead. After seeing the horrid living situations there, these women went back and told their husbands, and their husbands paid more attention to the way persons with developmental disabilities were treated. Later, Arc chapters organized tours for county commissioners, human service personnel, media, and service club members.

Walsh was a pioneer and trailblazer in field of developmental disabilities. Pat Mellenthin, The Arc of Minnesota’s current executive director, said that his passing should remind us all of us “to renew our commitment and our support to carry the torch as Jerry and many others did before us with such determination and valor.”

Four schools called ‘family-friendly’ Four Minnesota schools were recently awarded as Family-Friendly Schools by the Minnesota Parent Center, Minnesota’s PIRC (Parental Information and Resource Center), a project of PACER Center. The awards were presented in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Education as part of Minnesota Parent Involvement Month in October. Parents were asked to nominate schools for efforts to create a family-school partnership.

The winning schools are Woodland Elementary School, Brooklyn Park; Highland Park Elementary, St. Paul; Zachary Lane Elementary, Plymouth; Cologne Academy, Cologne.

“Schools that invite parents to be partners in education realize that families play an important role in student success,” said Heather Kilgore, director of Minnesota Parent Center, MN PIRC. “We applaud these schools, along with the parents of their students, for demonstrating what strong school-family partnerships can achieve.”

To nominate a school, parents were asked to respond to the following questions: Does the staff make the school building a welcoming and inviting place? Do school policies and practices encourage you to be involved with your child’s

learning? Do the adults in the building listen, invite, and greet you with friendly tones?

Are the written materials understandable and useful? Do they give you the information you find helpful?

Want a home of your own?

Chris Colestock retires Chris Colestock, Radio Talking Book broadcaster since 1985, retired from the Communication Center recently. Over the years, his voice has been one strongly identified with the station.

Many people will miss his morning delivery of the newspapers. Colestock assures listeners, though, that he intends to read as a volunteer for many more years.

Listeners will continue to hear his voice on Tech Wire programs (6:15 a.m. Wednesdays) and with various books.

Upstream Arts, Minneapolis schools team up Upstream Arts has embarked on a new partnership with Minneapolis Public Schools, bringing its innovative approach of teaching social and communication skills to students with and without disabilities into special education classrooms at Washburn High School, Ramsey International Fine Arts Elementary School, Jefferson Elementary School, Patrick Henry High School, Lake Harriet Middle School, City View Performing Arts School, Roosevelt High School and Edison High School. The program is supported by VSA arts and MetLife Foundation’s Arts Connect All grant.

Upstream Arts is one of only ten organizations in the nation to receive the “Arts Connect All” grant, which cultivates and recognizes arts education programs that create learning environments where students with and without disabilities learn side-by-side, creating art together. The grant rewards programs that use the arts to develop students’ social, cognitive, and artistic skills.

Teams of professional artists who visit these schools once a week include Matt Guidry, Norah Long, Charles Fraser, Sara Richardson, Matt Sciple, Suzy Messerole, Laressa Dickey, Dylan Fresco, Don Mabley-Allen, Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing.

These are artists whose work has been seen at the Guthrie Theater, History Theater, Chanhassen Dinner Theater, Bedlam Theater, Illusion Theater, Park Square Theatre and The Burning House Group.

Their original creative work has been published and produced locally and nationally.

They will be working with 120

Housing Access Services is a free service that is a partnership of The Arc of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Human Services. It helps eligible Minnesota adults with disabilities seek and locate suitable, affordable, accessible housing. This service is for adult Minnesotans of all ages who have been assessed and determined to be eligible for Minnesota Medicaid home care or waiver services and who want to move to homes of their own.

What will The Arc do? Arc representatives will accompany prospective clients when looking at housing, help clients complete rental applications and lease agreements, and meet with clients and landlords/property management staff. Assistance will be provided to fill out applications for publicly financed housing. Help is also available to help develop household budgets and to assist clients in finding affordable furnishings and related household matters.

For more information, contact Scott Schifsky, housing director at 651.523.0823 x102 scotts@arcmn.org Or visit www.thearcofminnesota.org to connect with a Housing Access Advocate in your area. students with and without disabilities, ranging in age from kindergarten to 12th grade.

Woman featured in article dies Diana McArthur Puhr, 61, who was the subject of an Access Press story earlier this year, passed away in November. She was 61 years old and lived in Fargo. An article described the challenges her family faced when Puhr and others were moved out of FargoMoorhead area care facilities to escape the spring flooding there. The article described the importance of having disaster plans in place.

Diana Thorun McArthur was born Jan. 8, 1948 in Fargo, North Dakota. She was born with cerebral palsy and minor developmental disability. She attended Agassiz Junior High and Central High School. She graduated in 1967, the last class at Central High. Diana attended one year at the Anne Carlson School for the Handicapped during her elementary school years.

She married August Puhr in June of 1973, celebrating their 36th wedding anniversary in 2009 and lived in Fargo until her death. She was involved in the Baha’i faith and volunteered at Bethany Homes memory care unit in Fargo before she became a resident there She was preceded in death by her mother (1967), her father (1997) and her brother (2009). She is survived by sisters Cynthia McArthur of St. Paul and Alison McArthur of Columbus, OH; cousins, nieces, one nephew and one great niece.

The Arc board member, Cindy Johnson honored Cindy Johnson of Woodbury accepted the Good Neighbor Award from the National Association of Realtors at its convention in San Diego last month. Johnson, a board member of The Arc of Minnesota and The Arc of the U.S., was one of only five Realtors across the country who received this honor. She was recognized for her volunteer efforts.

For more than 20 years she has worked to make life better for persons with developmental disabilities and their families. These efforts include her advocacy on behalf of her daughter and sister, both who have developmental disabilities; her advocacy that helped expand and protect community-based services for persons with disabilities; and her leadership in The Arc at the local, state, and national levels.

Employers saluted for hiring practices ProAct, an Eagan organization that helps people with disabilities prepare for, find and maintain work and self-sufficiency has named its employers of the year, chosen for their efforts in employing disabled people. “Employers are at the heart of ProAct’s mission,” said ProAct President Steve Ditschler. “The work they provide is invaluable to ProAct’s individuals, and we salute them.” The winners were honored before a crowd of nearly 600 at the Prom Center in Oakdale.

T.J. Maxx, Eagan was honored in the supported employment category. The store hosts

job tryouts for multiple positions, including stocking, processing, fitting rooms, cashiering and building maintenance. Rapala and its Eagan distribution center were honored in the community employment category. The distributor of fishing lures and other products employs ProAct individuals to work on packaging for products headed to 43 Wal-Mart distribution centers. Apothecary Products, Burnsville, won in the business partner category. The pharmacy-supply company uses ProAct for a substantial amount of work on a regular basis.

The Arc Value Village gets two awards Arc Greater Twin Cities who works on behalf of adults and children with developmental disabilities and their families were recognized with two recent honors. In November the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce presented Arc Greater Twin Cities with a 2009 Deubner Award. The Arc Greater Twin Cities received the award in the non-profit category as an organization that exemplifies growth, excellence, risk, diversity and innovation. The award is named in honor of Walter and Lydia Deubner, proprietors of a downtown Saint Paul grocery store who invented the first shopping bag with handles. The Arc opened a Value Village store last month at Hillcrest Shopping Center in St. Paul.

Also in November the New Hope City Council selected Arc’s Value Village store to People/places - cont. on p. 15

8

December 10, 2009

Anne Henry: Seven points that need to be made

by Anne Henry Below is Anne Henry’s speech, given after she received the Charlie Smith Award at the Access Press banquet on Nov. 6.

Thank you all very much. I am both humbled and honored to receive this award. It is such a thrill for me to be given an award bearing Charlie Smith’s name. More about Charlie in a moment.

First, I want to extend my gratitude to the Access Press Board, its able editor, Tim Benjamin, and all the staff.

Second, I want to say that my colleagues sitting in these two tables here in front of me share in this honor because of the work they do and the supportive environment they provide in which I have the privilege of working. Thank you so much to all of my trusted colleagues at the Disability Law Center. Here tonight are: our Legal Director, Pamela Hoopes, Bud, Brenda, Kathy, Nancy, our Executive Director, Jerry Lane, Jennifer, Rochelle, and Mai and Luther, whom I still consider colleagues.

I have always felt very lucky to work at the Disability Law Center with these fantastic folks. Nothing good that I have done during my work at the DLC has been the result of my efforts alone—these folks share this honor because they share my work!

Thank you, too, to all of the disability advocates and organizations, to the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities and all its members, and others who are active and engaged

and make a huge difference; in fact, you make my policy advocacy work possible. Also thank you to the good people within government and agencies, principled people with strong values supporting persons with disabilities.

Of course, my greatest appreciation goes to the children and adults with disabilities and their families. Inspiring and motivating people willing to share their lives to create change. You are heroic, brave and oh so inspiring. Thank you all!

Finally, I want to thank my wonderful family. My husband, Jerry, and my sister, Suzanna, are here. And I want to note that my good fortune to be part of a supportive family has led to the very strong and painful recognition that too many people with disabilities don’t have supportive relationships, they are isolated and cut off. A bit later I’m going to talk about seven challenges facing the disability advocacy community, but I want to add social isolation as number eight. And I want to give credit to John Tschida who has relentlessly pursued the issue of social isolation faced by many with disabilities and how to change it. Thank you John; this issue is so deserving of serious attention and effort.

Everyone needs supportive relationships. We should do everything possible to preserve those relationships and to help establish them where needed.

Now, back to Charlie Smith and why this honor in his name is so very meaningful to me. I had the fortunate opportunity

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to work with Charlie on numerous issues over 1-1/2 decades. Charlie was a delightful individual; smart, funny, kind, frank, and always willing to show up and get involved. Charlie’s work exemplified his very strong belief in the power of information; knowledge is power. That principle has been inspirational for me and the basis for my work to provide people all of the information about policies, the changes that impact them and how to get involved in affecting those policy.

Tonight, over the next ten or so minutes, I want to reflect on some incredible changes that have occurred during my career thus far and give you my list of seven (but, of course, already eight, with social isolation) important challenges that we face. First, I’ll review three areas of great change.

them to move to community People with disabilities have services and lives much more so much at stake in health like children ought to have. care reform and don’t let That work lead to the TEFRA anyone tell you differently. option under Medical AssisThe pressure on public retance and home- and commusources is very strong and nity-based waiver services to we simply have got to imallow families to keep their prove the hugely dysfunckids at home. Prior to TEFRA tional health care system and and the home- and commucover uninsured people in nity-based waivers, parents our society. A little publiwere faced with the imposcized part of the national sible decision, like “Sophie’s reform is the CLASS Act, Choice,” of impoverishing the a voluntary, self-insured nawhole family to get care for tional long-term care insurtheir child with a disability, or ance program financed by Anne Henry accepting the placing that child in a facility. voluntary payroll withhold- 2009 Charlie Smith Award After 30 days in a facility, the ing. This should have been and thanking everyone who child became eligible on their part of Medicare in 1965. helped in her achievements. own for MA. Supporting famiThink of how much better lies and having kids grow up at off we’d be had the CLASS effectiveness of positive home and go to school has Act been passed then. behavior practices and modbeen a cherished area of my eling those techniques evwork over the years and so 2. Positive behavioral pracerywhere. tices. When I was in college very, very fulfilling. in the late 60s, majoring in 3. Employment. I am conThe second area of great child psychology, I learned change has been closing those vinced that for the foreseevery, very clearly that the able future we will not have effectiveness of positive bethe public resources needed able sponsors made it possible to hold the 2009 Charlie havioral practices was scito lift people with disabiliAwards Banquet. This year’s table sponsors are: entifically proven and that ties out of the poverty we • Advocating Change • In Home Personal Care punishment did not work. crush them with when they Together (ACT) • MCIL Punishment suppresses beneed community support • ARC of Minnesota • Medica havior; it does not replace services and health care in • AXIS Healthcare • Minnesota Disability Law problem behavior with apthe Medicaid program. It is • Care Planners, Inc. Center propriate behavior; it is not vital that children with dis• Courage Center • UCare effective in teaching new abilities (and their parents) • Handi Medical Supply skills. Why, today, over 30 grow up expecting that they years later, do we find that will be employed and that in the name of teaching and I have been so very lucky to institutions that were the subthey will learn the skills they treatment, schools are using have worked in this field dur- ject of the Welsch case, a task need for a job during their aversive practices on stuing some really interesting not yet finished. Ridding socischool years. Teens with dents with disabilities; chiltimes of change. Again, all of ety of the notion that people disabilities need to get jobs dren and adults are subjected the work I’ve been involved with disabilities should be relike other teens do. The best to aversive practices in resiwith has involved others, of moved and separated has been way to learn job skills, of dential programs, and our course, and credit in our field a very long road. The change course, is by having a job. state facility, the Minnesota should always be shared. All in this area, though, has been We also need data from Extended Treatment Opof you here tonight undoubt- very exciting and made a huge school districts across the tion, in the name of treatedly deserve some credit for difference in the lives of many, state about the number of ment used aversive practices these three positive changes. many people with disabilities students who have paying on people with developmenThank you for that! and their families and all of the jobs while in school and the tal disabilities and mental A highlight for me was my rest of society. number who have a job when illnesses? We are supposed work on the Welsch case with Third, I feel so fortunate to they graduate. We’ve got to to be using scientifically Luther, Mike Fargione, Pat have been part of the movehave accountability for those proven evidence-based Siebert, Kathy McDonald, and ment to place disability rights years in school for kids with practices in all of our health Carol Rydel from about 1979 squarely in the civil rights condisabilities. Employment is care and our treatment decithrough 1989. A defining ex- text—the Minnesota Human crucial to build better adult sions. Positive behavioral perience for me in the context Rights Act, Section 504, the lives for everyone. practices are as proven as of that critically important, Americans with Disabilities aspirin. We have got to be 4. Independence. While we nearly 20-year long case, was Act, the inclusion of people sure that aversive practices the involvement with children with disabilities in every ashave made great strides in are replaced with positive who lived in those state insti- pect of our communities behaving more communitybehavioral practices throughtutions and working to allow cause it is their right to particibased service options and out our state for everyone. pate – has been so powerful. including kids in school, we Not only do these aversive Let me turn now to the seven still have a long way to go in practices not work–they challenges and don’t forget the promoting independence for cause harm, and they are eighth challenge I mentioned persons with disabilities. Far abusive. The disability coma few minutes ago, social isotoo many adults have guardmunity has a lot to offer our lation. ians or group home staff or larger society by leading the others in their lives making way to eradicate our the 1. Of course, health care retheir decisions and choices negative, punishing ways form at the national and state for them. It is crucial that which seem so embedded in level is a huge challenge. people with disabilities be our culture, by showing the Henry - cont. on p. 8

T

Target Marketing at its finest!

Advertise in Access Press and reach thousands in the disability community every month.

December 10, 2009

HENRY -

Cont. from p. 7

supported to make choices and increase their independence and sense of personal empowerment which we all need in our lives.

5. Mental health. There are two aspects to our mental health challenge. We have had some really important changes in our mental health system during this decade.

We must credit persons with mental illnesses, families and strong and effective advocacy organizations for these important changes. But as those of you who work with me on personal care assistant services know, we have gone backwards dramatically in community support services for people disabled by their mental illness. We must not fail to provide community services to p e o p l e w h o s e need for functional help to live in t h e i r homes is a

result of their mental illness.

Unfortunately, the services that have been providing those essential supports to maintain apartments, get to medical appointments, prepare and eat healthy meals, take medications and live in the community are being taken away from folks with mental illness and children and adults who have challenging behaviors, whatever the underlying diagnoses .

This is really tragic. Much unnecessary suffering will occur.

The second aspect of our mental health challenge

is that many people with vices for those with other other disabilities—physical primary diagnoses or disdisabilities, developmental abilities. disabilities, brain injury— have the need for mental 6. Greed. While I have writhealth services and do not ten “greed” in my notes, get those services. We conthat’s just a prompt to help tinue to be very “siloed” in me remember to talk about the way people obtain health public funding and governcare and supports to live in ment. These very tight ecothe community. The benefits nomic times, which are too of mental health treatment often shot through with exhave got to be more availtreme selfishness, have able to people with a whole sharpened the anti-governvariety of other disabilities ment, anti-tax rhetoric in our and diagnoses. Lives will be society. Now it’s fine to critiimproved with appropriate cize the government or a access to mental health serparticular tax, but it’s really important to do so in a targeted and specific way. When you hear people railing against

T

he first-ever Access Press silent auction and raffle raised almost $2,000 for newspaper operations. All involved had a great time and many of the items drew spirited bids and in a few cases, bidding ways bidding war. Items included theater, museum and sports tickets, artwork and photos, collectibles, a handmade birdhouse and a weekend in a Pelican Rapids cabin.

Donors for the event included: • • • • • • • • • • • •

9

BlueSky Design Cedar Cultural Center Chrestomathy, Inc. Courage Center David’s Print Shop Mel and Georgia Duncan Franklin Street Bakery Goodwill/Easter Seals Guthrie Theatre Kara Hendershot History Theatre IMED Mobility

• The Institute for Exercise Medicine & Prevention • Izzy’s Ice Cream • Magers & Quinn • The Mall of America • Jane McClure • Minneapolis Airport Marriott • Minneapolis Institute of Arts • Minnesota Orchestra • Minnesota RollerGirls • Minnesota Timberwolves

• • • • • • • •

Minnesota Twins Mississippi Market Mixed Blood Theater MN Clean Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Christen Munn & Family Northwestern Book Stores Ordway Center for the Performing Arts • Peace Coffee • Pizza Luce • Presentation Images

• • • • • • • • • •

Raymond Yates Rhonda Engle Riverview Theatre Kristin Schue The St. Paul Saints Science Museum of Minnesota Sophie Joe’s Emporium The Southern Theater Stepping Stone Theatre Theatre in the Round

Anne Henry JD, thanking her colleagues for their support in making her job a pure joy and helping make meaningful changes. government and complaining about all taxes, it’s important to engage them in a conversation so they can understand that such blanket negativity about public funding and government programs is harmful to people with disabilities.

People with disabilities rely on public funding to pay for the supports and services that allow them to participate in the life of our community. Children and adults with disabilities’ needs for community support services, durable medical equipment, rehabilitation and habilitation services have been rejected by our nation’s private, mainly employer-based health system.

Public funding of Medicaid has had to pick up all these areas excluded by private coverage. Most people who rail against government and taxes would also say they support people with disabilities living in their communities. This disconnect has got to be confronted so that people understand supporting people with disabilities must include supporting taxes and making our gov-

ernment effective and accountable.

7. Involvement and action.

Now, I’m going to loop back to Charlie Smith. I know I’m really preaching to all you choir members. Because you’re here, I know you are involved and active. But we need to engage other people to be involved and active on behalf of issues affecting persons with disabilities.

Charlie was no armchair philosopher or academician; he actively and tirelessly promoted change using his belief in the power of information and knowledge. He was willing to testify on very short notice, always publicly spoke out when services and rights were threatened and led a peaceful sit-in in the governor’s office to protest the 1995 cuts to PCA services. Charlie made change by using the information and knowledge he consistently provided to us through Access Press. That’s what we all must continue to do.

Thank you. Thank you so much for this terrific honor. I will cherish it always. ■

10

December 10, 2009

Upcoming events To list an event, email access@accesspress.org Attend art show Spectrum ArtWorks, a nonprofit visual art organization that provides studio space and community for artists living with mental illness, hosts an art show and sale 6-8 p.m.

Thu, Dec. 10 at Spectrum ArtWorks Studio, 1825 Chicago Ave. S., Mpls. See and buy fine art and holiday cards and gifts made by amazing local artists. Spectrum is a recent winner of the Minnesota Association of Community Mental Health Programs Community Awareness Award.

FFI: Amy, 612 752 8242, arice@resource-mn.org

Computer skills class PACER Center offers Computer Skills and Resources to Close the Digital Divide, a free workshop series for parents who have children with disabilities and who are computer beginners or have limited access to technology. How to Access, Download, and Play Free Digital Books for Children is 6-8 p.m. Tue, Dec. 15 at PACER Center, 8161 Normandale Blvd., Bloomington. Advance registration required. FFI: 952-838-9000 or 952-838-0190 (TTY). In Greater Minnesota, call 800537-2237 (toll free), pacer. org

Donate time to stores Help at one of Arc’s Value Village stores this holiday season. Volunteers will help unpack and display thousands of holiday items such as greenery and wreaths, cards and wrap, ornaments and decor, cookie tins and bake ware, Santas, snowmen, holiday houses, gifts, linens, crafts, centerpieces, clothing, books and more. Daytime, evening and weekend shifts for individuals and small groups available. Volunteers must be at least 14 years of age. Stores are in Brooklyn Center, New Hope, Richfield and St. Paul.

FFI: 952-920-0855; apply online at www.arcsvalue village.org

Flu shots offered Hennepin County offers H1N1 flu vaccine to a broadened range of at-risk recipients 3:308 p.m. Wed, Dec. 16, Wayzata High School, 4955 Peony Lane N., Plymouth. H1N1 flu vaccine is offered to anyone between the ages of 6 months through 24 years, adults aged 25 to 64 with chronic health conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, lung conditions, cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy), all pregnant women, health care providers and emergency medical services personnel, and anyone who lives with or provides care to infants under the age of 6 months. The vaccine will be offered in both the nasal spray and injected shot forms. Vaccine will be given on a firstcome, first-served basis. A parent or guardian must accompany any child and sign a consent form in person at the site. The vaccinations are free, but families with insurance should bring their insurance card so their insurance plan can be billed.

Inclusive Schools Week Minnesota will observe Inclusive Schools Week Dec. 7 – 11, and Arc Greater Twin Cities and The Arc of Minnesota encourage schools and families throughout the state to take this opportunity to highlight the accomplishments of families, schools and communities that have dedicated energy and resources to creating inclusive education environments for all students. The driving force behind the state’s proclamation is Mary Hauff of Minnetonka, whose passion for inclusion is inspired by a daughter with Down syndrome. Hauff is an employee of The Arc of Minnesota and a volunteer with Arc Greater Twin Cities. FFI: 952- 9200855, 651 523-0823 ext. 113 Support Group for Families The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Minnesota sponsors free support groups for families who have a relative with a mental illness.

Led by trained facilitators who also have a family member with mental illness, the support groups help families develop better coping skills and find strength through sharing their experiences. A family support group meets in St. Paul at 6:30 p.m., on the second and fourth Wed. FFI: Anne Mae, 651-730-8434

Save the date Save May 13-14 for the Statewide Independent Living Conference at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, Prior Lake. Independent Living Center staff, directors and board members, and others interested in this field should attend. The event is sponsored by the Statewide Independent Living Council.

Registration brochures will be available in March. FFI: Carol, 651-222-7409 x205, or 800-

500-4157 x205, cschoeneck @mngts.org Help with raising children Grandparents who are raising grandchildren with intellectual and developmental disabilities can join a new free networking group from Arc Greater Twin Cities and Nokomis Healthy Seniors. The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Networking Group meets on the fourth Monday of each month from 4 – 5:30 p.m. at Nokomis Presbyterian Church, 1620 E. 46th St., Mpls. Get information and support, and connect with other grandparents. Dates are Jan. 25, Feb. 22, Mar. 22, Apr. 26 and May 24. Childcare is available with one week’s notice prior to meeting date.

Arc also offers a group in St. Paul for grandparents, greatgrandparents, aunts, uncles and other relatives who are raising a family member’s child with an intellectual or developmental disability. The Relatives Raising Children with Disabilities Networking Group meets on the second Tue of each month from 1 – 2:30 p.m. at Java Train Café, 1341 Pascal St., St. Paul. Meeting dates are Jan. 12, Feb. 9, Mar. 9, Apr. 13 and May 11. Please preregister for either group. FFI: Arc, 952-920-0855, www.arc greatertwincities.org Tutor a Child, Change a Future Volunteers are needed to tutor elementary students in the St. Paul Public schools in reading and math. Under the guidance of a classroom teacher, volunteers assist students one-onone or in small groups determined by classroom need. By contributing as little as two hours per week, you can give a struggling student the extra attention needed to help them succeed. Volunteers age 55 and older are eligible to receive free supplemental insurance, mileage reimbursement and other benefits through the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) sponsored by Volunteers of America of Minnesota. FFI: Connie at 612.617.7807 or e-mail cerick son@voamn.org

The Courage Cards & Gifts Holiday Shop in Golden Valley and the Stillwater shop are open this month, so there’s still time to get Courage Cards and other items. Hours are Golden Valley, M-F, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sat. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and Stillwater, M-F, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sat. 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Upcoming events include Dec. 10 & 11 Betty Crocker Cookie Sale at Golden Valley; Dec. 14 - 50 cents a chance dog drawing – Golden Valley & St Croix; Dec. 15 & 16 - Clearance Sale in St Croix and Dec. 22 & 23 - Clearance Sale in Golden Valley.

Vacancies announced Hennepin County is looking to fill spots on a number of citizen boards, commission and committees, including the Adult Mental Health Advisory Council, Community Action Partnership for Suburban Hennepin Board, and Workforce Investment Board. The deadline to apply for citizen advisory board vacancies is Dec. 31. Interviews are in January. FFI: Hennepin County Web site, www.hennepin.us under Government/Participation, 612-348-3257.

Anxiety support group The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Minnesota (NAMI-MN) sponsors free support groups for persons with anxiety disorders. The groups help individuals develop better coping skills and find strength through sharing their experiences. An Open Door Anxiety and Panic support group meets in St. Paul at 6:30 p.m., first and third Thu, at Gloria Dei Church, 700 Snelling Ave. S. St. Paul. FFI: NAMI at 651-645-2948, www. namimn.org.

The Arc launches sibshops Kids who have a brother or sister with autism can make friends and have fun at a new Sibshop group in Roseville

from Arc Greater Twin Cities.

The group meets 6-7:30 p.m. the second Thursday of the month at Fairview Community Center, 1910 County Road B West, Room 143, Roseville.

Sibshops use games and recreation to help kids ages 6 -12 expresses their thoughts and feelings about having a sibling with a disability. Participants explore common sibling issues such as teasing and problemsolving through activities and discussion. Sibshops are also an opportunity for participants to connect with other siblings.

Dates for the Fall 2009/Spring 2010 session are Nov. 12, Dec. 10, Jan. 14, Feb. 11, Mar. 11, Apr. 15 (note date change) and May 13. Sibshops are free for Arc members and $10 per child (each meeting) for others. Arc also offers 13 additional Sibshops at locations throughout the metro area, including two more locations in Ramsey County. FFI: 952-920-0855

find strength through sharing their experiences. Family support groups meet weekly in the St. Paul area, either on Thursday evenings or on the second and fourth Wednesdays. FFI: Karin, 651-489-4160 (Thursdays) or Anne Mae, 651-7308434 (Wednesdays) Adaptive technology classes Free adaptive technology classes are offered by Hennepin County Library, at the downtown Mpls library, 300 Nicollet Mall. Classes are free but you must pre-register for these classes for persons who are blind or have low vision.

In addition to classes there are often volunteers available to introduce patrons to the equipment and software available.

Volunteer hours vary, so it’s best to call ahead. The Blind and Low Vision Computer User group meets in Room N402 1-3 p.m. the second Saturday of each month, with a different speaker. A Christmas party is Dec. 12. Funding for Adaptive Technology classes is provided by a generous grant from the Hudson Family Foundation. FFI: 612-630-6469, www.hclib.org

Support groups offered The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Minnesota sponsors free support groups for families who have a relative with a mental illness.

Led by trained facilitators who also have a family member Caregivers support group with mental illness, the sup- Parents and caregivers of chilport groups help families de- dren with fetal alcohol specvelop better coping skills and Events - cont. on p. 14

December 10, 2009

11

Accessible performances The following performances will be Audio Described (AD) for people who are blind or have low vision, or interpreted in American Sign Language (ASL) for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Selected performances offer reduced admission prices for the patron and one companion. When calling a box office, confirm the service (ASL or AD), date, time, ticket price and anything else needed, e.g. length of performance, etc. If you attend a show, please share your feedback with the performing organization, interpreter, and VSA arts of Minnesota.

Accessible performance information is compiled by VSA arts of Minnesota, 612-332-3888 or www.vsaartsmn.org

See www.accesspress.org for complete listing and for Accessible Movie Theaters Junior Claus Dec. 10-27 Beyond Broadway at Burnsville Performing Arts Center, 12600 Nicollet Ave. ASL: Thurs., Dec. 17, 7 p.m. Tix: $21.50 - $32; Phone: 952-8954680 or 612-746-1374. Email: JuniorClaus@Burns villePAC.com Web: www. burnsvillepac.com La Natividad Dec. 10-20 In the Heart of the Beast Puppet & Mask Theatre at Avalon Theater, 1500 E. Lake St., Mpls. ASL: Fri., Dec. 11, 6:30 p.m. AD: Sun., Dec. 20, 6:30 p.m. Tix: Reduced to $20.50 (reg. $27.50, $20 youth, senior, groups of 10+); Phone: 612-721-2535, ext. 23; Email: info@hobt.org Web: www.hobt.org A Christmas Carol Dec. 11-20 Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre, 333 4th St. S., Fargo.

AD: Fri. & Sat., Dec. 11-12, 7:30 p.m. Tix: Reduced to $8 (reg. $20, senior/student $14, child $8); Phone: 701-2356778. Web: www.fmct.org

Stuart Little Dec. 11-20 Lakeshore Players Theatre, 4820 Stewart Ave., White Bear Lake. ASL: Sat., Dec. 19, 7 p.m. Tix: Reduced to $6 (reg. $10-12); Phone: 651-4295674; E-mail: tickets@lake shoreplayers.com Web: www.lakeshoreplayers.com

Beauty and the Beast Dec. 15 – Jan. 3 Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Main Hall, 345 Washington, St. Paul. ASL & AD: Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m. & Sat., Jan. 2, 2 p.m. Tix: $27-75; Phone: 651-224-4222, TTY 651-282-3099. Web www.ord way.org/accessibility

Wonder: Celebrating the Wonder of Our Inner Child Dec. 11-13 Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus at Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 4th St. S., Mpls. ASL: Fri., Dec. 11, 8 p.m. Tix: Reduced to half-price: $14 $21.50 (reg.$23-43, includes box office & facility fees); Phone: 612-624-2345 Web: www.tcgmc.org or www. northrop.umn.edu

Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol Through Dec. 20 Park Square Theatre, 408 Saint Peter St., St. Paul. AD & ASL: Sat., Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m. Tix: Reduced to half-price ($18.50); Phone: 651-2917005. Web: www.parksquare theatre.org

Indian Blood Through Dec. 13 Theatre in the Round, 245 Cedar Ave., Mpls. AD: Sun., Dec. 13, 2 p.m. Tix: $20, senior $18, student $10; Phone: 612-333-3010. Web: www.the atreintheround.org

A Tuna Christmas Through Dec. 20 Bloomington Art Center’s Gallery Theater Company at Schneider Theater, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington. ASL: Thurs., Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m. AD: Fri., Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m. Tix: Reduced to $11 for (reg. $18, senior $16, student $14); Phone: 952-5638575. Web: www.blooming tonartcenter.com

ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES McGUIRE PROSCENIUM STAGE

WURTELE THRUST STAGE

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!

Through Dec. 22 SteppingStone Theatre, 55 Victoria St. N., St. Paul. AD: Fri., Dec. 11, 7:00 p.m. ASL: Sun., Dec. 13, 3:00 p.m. Tix: $11; child/senior $9; Phone: 651-225-9265; E-mail: box office@steppingstonetheatre.org Web: www.steppingstone theatre.org The Holiday Pageant Through Dec. 23 Open Eye Figure Theatre, 506 E. 24th St., Mpls. ASL: Sat., Dec. 19, 2 p.m. AD: Sun., Dec. 20, 2 p.m. Tix: $18, student/ senior $14, child 12 & under $12. Phone: 612-874-6338; Email: boxoffice@openeye theatre.org Web: www. openeyetheatre.org Sister’s Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold Through Dec. 27 Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, McKnight Theatre, 345 Washington, St. Paul.

AD, ASL: Sat., Dec. 5, 2:00 p.m. Tix/Phone: 651-2244222, TTY 651-282-3099.

Web: www.ordway.org/accessibility/ Nutcracker (not so) Suite Dec. 9-31 Ballet of the Dolls at the Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave. NE, Mpls. AD: Thurs., Dec. 10, 8 p.m. ASL: Fri., Dec. 18, 8 p.m. Tix: $27, student/senior/ NE Mpls, groups of 10+ $22); Phone: 612-436-1129; Web: www.ritzdolls.com/tickets/ A Christmas Carol Through Dec. 31 Guthrie Theater, 818 2nd St. S., Mpls. AD: Sat., Dec. 12, 1 p.m.; Sensory tour 10:30 a.m.; Tues., Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m. ASL: Sat., Dec. 12, 1 p.m.; Tues., Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m. Tix: Reduced to $20 for AD/ASL, (reg. $29-70); Phone: 612-

starring

ASL and AD performances: &$ OC performances: $25 Prices valid for patron plus one companion.

Access programs at the Guthrie are sponsored by Xcel Energy Foundation with additional support by Think Community Foundation

*%&"'++"&&&( HHM *%&"'++"**&* ;IH<F=9H<95H9F"CF;

377-2224, TTY 612-377- acrossamerica.com Web: 6626. Web: www.guthrie www.hennepintheatretrust.org or www.hennepintheatredis theater.org/accessibility trict.org/guestservices/aslad/ .

Cinderella Laura Through Jan. 2 Jan. 14-17 Children’s Theatre Co., 2400 Third Ave. S., Mpls. AD & Tin Roof Theatre Company at ASL: Fri., Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m. Fargo-Moorhead Community Tix: special price rates for Theatre, 333 4th St. S., Fargo. AD: ASL/AD patrons (reg. $27- Fri.-Sat., Jan. 15-16, 7:30 p.m.

39); Phone: 612-874-0400; E- Tix: Reduced to $8 (reg. $15, mail: tickets@childrens student/senior $10); Phone: Tin theatre.org Web: www.child Roof: 701-205-5788, or FMCT: 701-235-6778, 877-687-7469. renstheatre.org Web: www.tinrooftheatre. org or www.fmct.org Holiday Traditions Through Jan. 3 Doubt: A Parable Mpls Institute of Arts, 2400 Jan. 15 - Feb. 7 Third Ave. S. ASL tour: Thurs., Dec. 10, 7 p.m.: Holi- Lakeshore Players Theatre, day Traditions in the Period 4820 Stewart Ave., White Bear Rooms (tour begins on third Lake. ASL: Sat., Jan. 23, 8:00 floor). Phone: 612-870-3131 p.m. (If no ASL seats are reor TTY 612-870-3132; E- served by two weeks of the mail: dhegstrom@artsmia. show, the ASL-interpretation org Web: www.artsmia.org will be cancelled.) Tix: Reduced to $10 (reg. $18-20); Masterworks from the MIA’s Phone: 651-429-5674; Email: tickets@lakeshore Permanent Collection Mpls Institute of Arts, 2400 players.com Web: www.lake Third Ave. S. ASL: Sun., Jan. shoreplayers.com 3, 1 p.m. Phone: 612-870-3131 The Mousetrap or TTY 612-870-3132; E-mail: Jan. 15-31 dhegstrom@artsmia. org or Web: www.artsmia.org Free Lyric Arts Company of Anoka ASL-interpreted public tours at Main Street Stage, 420 E. on the first Sun. of each month Main St., Anoka. ASL: Sat., begin by the Information Desk Jan. 16, 7:30 p.m. Tix: Rein the lobby. Free tours for visi- duced to $13 (reg. $18, $16 tors with memory loss, student/senior), $20 box seats; Alzheimer’s and friends or care Phone: 763-422-1838. Web: partners are offered on the sec- www.lyricarts.org ond weekend of each month.

Stones in His Pocket January 15-31 Dreamgirls Ten Thousand Things Theater Jan. 12-17 Touring company at Orpheum at Open Book, 1011 WashingTheatre, 910 Hennepin Ave. ton Ave. S., Mpls. AD: Sun., S., Mpls. ASL: Sun., Jan. 17, 1 Jan. 17, 8:00 p.m. Tix: Rep.m. AD: request in advance: duced to $18 (reg. $25; stu612-339-7007. Tix: Reduced dents on Sundays $15), Phone: to $31 (reg. to $78); Phone: 612-203-9502. Web: www.ten 612-373-5639 or 5609; hotline thousandthings.org 612-373-5650; TTY 612-373Talley’s Folly 5655; Ticketmaster 800-859Jan. 15-30 7469. E-mail: Nichole.Cassa vant@BroadwayAcrossAmerica. Rochester Repertory Theatre, com or accessible@broadway Perform - cont. on p. 14

12

December 10, 2009

Mexico trip

Vacationing dog guide didn’t enjoy his boat ride

by Clarence Schadegg This is the latest in a series about writer Clarence Shadegg’s trip to Mexico.

As we continued our Mexican Riviera cruise, I wondered; How do people of another country respond to people who are blind? How will they react to my dog guide? I would soon find out.

The Star Princess dropped anchor at four ports along the western Mexican coast: Acapulco, Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. Telly would guide me around on only one land visit, one where I was sure he would be safe. I was told that packs of dogs often roamed the beaches and streets. The ship crew cared for the dog guides when we ventured ashore. Without our dog guides, we got around with only our white canes and sighted guides.

Acapulco was the largest of

AGENDA -

the cities we visited. The van for our tour was parked near the dock. I reached for the door frame as I lifted myself into the van. My elbow bumped the door of the vehicle and part of the lining for the window fell, touching the top part of the partially opened door window. I hoped this was all that was wrong with the vehicle.

The van was hot and stuffy.

With no air conditioning, I felt drowsy and uncomfortable while trying to follow our driver’s narration. It seemed as if we spent more time stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic than enjoying the sights.

All of us passengers were blind or legally blind. We had to ask our driver to use verbal cues and not visual ones. His English was pretty good, but he seemed uneasy about describing sites of interest to people who were blind.

Our tour guide and some of the restaurant staff made traditional Mexican drinks, punching open a coconut for each of us. They added some water to liquefy the coconut contents.

It was sweet tasting with a good flavor, although I worried about drinking tap water mixed into the beverage.

One of the visits was to watch the famous cliff jumpers of Acapulco. Unfortunately, much of the show was over by the time we arrived. Soon after we arrived, a park employee met us and requested us to pay to watch. The fellow stated he would charge those who could see half of the amount while he would not charge anything to those of us who were totally blind. That was because, he said, “we couldn’t see the jumpers anyway.”

The members of our group who had to pay grumbled as they paid the fee even though

we had barely 10 minutes to enjoy the remaining part of the show.

At Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa, I had Telly with me on the four-hour tour. This would be my dog guide’s only time on land in 10 days. A security team helped us step from the plank of our ship to the tender, the boat that would ferry us back and forth from ship to shore. A three male security team nervously pushed and pulled me as if I was unable to walk under my own power.

They pressed their bodies tightly against mine pinning my arms to my side, it felt like they were moving me like I was heavy statue. They pushed and pulled me this way and that way. Their actions felt like they put me at risk because my dog guide was blocked from guiding me. My efforts to communicate with them were made impossible

because of the language barrier.

Telly did not like the ride in the tender. A fellow passenger told me about the expressions on Telly’s face as we exited the tender. He was obviously displeased about the ride. Telly gave the tender a quick glance over his shoulder as he exited the boat, letting it known that he wanted to get off of this boat for good.

Our tour guide Alberto met us as we exited the dock near the town of Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa. Telly backed into the open space on the floor of the front seat of this bus. That is where he stayed during the tour.

Alberto stood at the front of the bus. He gave us a fine history of pre-Columbian Mexico and provided much helpful and interesting information throughout the visit.

We stopped at a countryside

Another key change sought is a change to allow for 24-hour coverage for those who need intermittent care to live at home.

Thus would allow a consumer to choose one person to live

is the General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) crisis, which will be felt when many Minnesotans are dropped from that program due to unallotment of state funding. Many enrolled in GAMC have multiple chronic conditions and/or mental health conditions that will worsen if they are not cared for.

Changes to the Minnesota Disability Health Options (MnDHO) program will also have to be monitored closely, to track impacts on persons with disabilities. MnDHO is an integrated managed care plan for people with physical disabilities. Changes at the state and federal level mean Medicare is no longer a part of this care plan.

Another topic of concern is housing for people with disabilities. Margot Imdieke Cross co-chaired a group that studied housing issues and held focus groups throughout Minnesota. DHS is developing a

report for state lawmakers on housing for people with disabilities. That report is due in December 2010. Community monitoring and involvement in that report is essential.

One huge concern is that of tenants feeling too intimidated to make complaints about poor housing conditions or bad management practices. That promoted considerable discussion among Mn-CCD members, who want to see those issues addressed.

Another issue that will be tracked closely is transportation. One issue many consortium members would like to see resolved is that of specific responsibility for ADA complaint. “There are many players in those organizations, which must ensure that facilities are accessible,” said Chris Bell. He co-chaired a group that looked at potential transportation legislation. Dealing with transportation and transit

restaurant. Merchants went from table to table to sell their goods. Most of the merchants seemed to have avoided me, perhaps because Telly rested on the floor next to my chair.

Could they have been afraid of my dog?

Our next stop was at a coconut plantation. We exited the bus again and walked as a group. Alberto gave us a narrative history as we strolled down a dirt road. One of the elders on the plantation demonstrated the many uses of coconuts. We bought some products from the family that ran the plantation. Telly was interested in the little dog he saw carried by children who lived in the area. ■ The final installment of Clarence Shadegg’s trip to Mexico.will run in an upcoming issue of Access Press.

Cont. from p. 1

PCA services have been part of Minnesota’s Medical Assistance program since 1977, and have expanded since that time. Mn-CCD estimates that about 14,500 Minnesotans living at home with the help of PCA services obtained through the fee-for-service Medical Assistance program. An additional 4,000 people, mainly senior citizens, get PCA services through managed health care plans under contract with the state to provide Medical Assistance benefits.

But the PCA programs have been cut in recent years, most significantly during the 2009 session when hours of service were cut, eligibility for service was tightened and PCA work hours were limited.

While the changes were promoted as a way to increase oversight and prevent fraud, the fear is that the cuts will make it impossible for many people to continue to maintain

their services. There are concerns that it will be harder for people to obtain services of PCAs and home health aides.

Without these services many people couldn’t live in the community.

Mn-CCD is stating its strong support for PCA programs and opposes cuts in funding and eligibility. The group is asking that PCA Choice must be maintained as a service option. The group is also supporting annual cost-of-living increases for PCA staff to assure that staff does not lose ground financially and reduce staff turnover, which hurts the quality of services for persons with disabilities. Support is also being voiced for health care reforms which will improve health coverage for PCA staff. The group also supports improvements in the assessment process to increase the quality of the review of the person’s need for assistance.

“The disability community needs to be closely involved in any state proposals to monitor and evaluate the PCA program, said Anne Henry.” with them and provide care.

Tied to this is a request to lift the 275 hour per month cap the state has placed on PCAs. The disability community needs to be closely involved in any state proposals to monitor and evaluate the PCA program, said Henry.

Health care is another topic that will be watched closely at the capitol. One looming issue

issues means working with a myriad of agencies and staff.

Bell said it’s important for the community to know who the players are.

The transportation advocates will be monitoring the transportation omnibus bill that was vetoed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty during the 2009 session. This bill had several provisions of interest to the disability community, including a requirement that bridge crossings be accessible to bikes, pedestrians and people with disabilities. Bell noted that many bridges in the state can only be accessed via stairs.

Transit service changes will also be tracked. The state has benchmarks to meet in making such transit service is provided statewide, and the disability community needs to make sure those goals are met. ■

BDC Management Co. is now accepting applications for our waiting lists at the following affordable communities Albright Townhomes Buffalo Court Apartments Elliot Park Apartments Evergreen Apartments Franklin Lane Apartments Hanover Townhomes Lincoln Place Apartments Olson Towne Homes Prairie Meadows Talmage Green Trinity Apartments Unity Place Vadnais Highlands Willow Apartments Woodland Court Apartments

Minneapolis Buffalo Minneapolis Hutchinson Anoka St. Paul Mahtomedi Minneapolis Eden Prairie Minneapolis Minneapolis Brooklyn Center Vadnais Heights Little Falls Park Rapids

(612) 824-6665 (763) 684-1907 (612) 338-3106 1-800-661-2501 (763) 427-7650 (651) 292-8497 (651) 653-0640 (612) 377-9015 (952) 941-5544 (612) 623-0247 (612) 721-2252 (763) 560-7563 (651) 653-0640 (320) 632-0980 1-888-332-9312

1 BR 2 BR 2 BR 1 BR 1 & 2 BR 1 BR 2 BR 1 BR 2 & 3 BR 2 BR 1 BR (sr) 2 BR 3 BR 1 & 2 BR 1 BR

(Please call each individual site for specific building information.

All listings are accessible.)

December 10, 2009

13

Doctor, author Miles works for awareness, justice for disabled veterans, victims of torture

by Clarence Schadegg Dr. Stephen Miles is a professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School and a faculty member of its Center for Bioethics. He is also a practicing physician.

Two of his books outline his concerns for victims of torture and veterans with disabilities.

In 2006 Miles wrote Oath Betrayed: Torture, Medical Complicity and the War on Terror. “This is a work of medical ethics,” said Miles. “I believe that the Abu Ghraib abuses ask health professionals to reaffirm the values and duties that lie at the core of being healers. I disagree with those who say that medical complicity in the abuse or neglect of prisoners is essentially a political issue. I believe that these abuses summon the moral engagement of all medical professionals: those in military service, those who are civilians and the various medical societies. As we shall see,

a torturing nation uses fear, persuasion and propaganda to secure the assent to torture from society and its legal, academic, journalistic and medical professionals.”

The book raises the question: How do we improve the accountability and sanctioning of doctors for these abuses?

And he’s just completed a review of all of the doctors sanctioned for torture after the Nazis. Miles researched Nazi doctors’ trial held after the end of World War II. In one case the doctor wasn’t sanctioned for torture until 1976, in Greece. But now many doctors have been accused of being involved in torture. Miles believes doctors should be held accountable for such actions and should act as human rights monitors, not participate in torture of prisoners.

In some countries, doctors who participate in torture are jailed or lose their licenses.

Some human rights group post information about these doctors online, giving their names, work and home addresses and other information. One of the groups is called “If there is No Justice, There Will be Denunciation.”

Miles’ mission is clear, as a doctor focused on medical ethics; he is concerned with the role of medical personnel in war, the treatment of prisoners of war and the role of any government and medical personnel actions of complicity of torture. He works to provide information that will be used to hold the people accountable who authorized, took part in and/or did nothing to stop the torture of prisoners of war. He is concerned with the rehabilitation and reintegration into any community by veterans with disabilities and by the victims of torture.

Miles’ writing is controversial and he has received death

threats because of his work.

Regardless of that, he is committed to bring to justice those who have any role in torture.

Miles is also concerned with military personnel who return home from the war with physical and/or mental disabilities.

“We know that people who go to war have a certain level of post traumatic stress disorder,” Miles said. “People who see combat have a higher level [of PTSD]. And people who participate in atrocities have the highest levels of post traumatic stress disorder.”

Miles believes soldiers should be “treated for their exposure to such things as Agent Orange, Gulf War Syndrome and the Nuclear depleted uranium.” He believes, the same is true for anybody who because of war, became physically disabled or acquired post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or any other mental health issues and

Radio Talking Book • December Sampling Holiday Programming Radio Talking Book will air special holiday programming instead of the normal books and periodical programs from Thu Dec. 24 to Sat Dec. 26. This will include many classic Christmas stories that our volunteers have recorded over the last 40 years. Whether your tradition includes Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa, Radio Talking Book wishes listeners a very happy holiday season.

Books Available Through Faribault Books broadcast on the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network are available through the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library in Faribault, MN. Their phone is 1-800-7220550 and hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Their catalog is also online, and you can access it by going to the main website, http://education.state.mn.us, and then clicking on the link. If you live outside of Minnesota, you may obtain copies of books by contacting your own state’s Network Library for the National Library Service.

fectively handle people who are having difficulty during reentry. Unless we have a multi-professional system for addressing the transitional needs of veterans, a court is a decision making body without a way to effect its decisions in a successful way.” ■

We Understand Non-Profit Organizations

“Serving non-profit organizations, including those funded by federal awards, for over twenty-five years”

Contact Bryan Swartz: bswartz@jmm-cpa.com

development of the automobile. Read by Ray Christensen. 14 broadcasts. Began Dec. 8.

Choice Reading • Monday – Friday 4 p.m.

English, Fiction by Wang Gang, 2009. Twelve-year-old Love Liu wonders what life is like outside of Xinjiang, where everyone is similar, and non-conformity makes one suspect.

Then a new teacher arrives from Shanghai to teach English and life changes. Read by Ray Christensen. 10 broadcasts. Begins Dec. 22.

PM Report • Monday – Friday 8 p.m.

Mad, Bad and Sad, Nonfiction by Lisa Appignanesi, 2008.

Extreme states of mind, uncontrollable emotions, and thinking oblivious to the real world are part of the human condition. But do women suffer more from such ills? Read by Diane Ladenson.

21 broadcasts. Began Dec. 9.

Night Journey • Monday – Friday 9 p.m.

Death Swatch, Fiction by Laura Childs, 2008. Carmela is Listen to the Minnesota Radio Talking Book; either live or invited to a Mardi Gras party at which a float designer is found archived programs from the last week, on the Internet at strangled. The theories are wild, but Carmela doesn’t believe www.mnssb.org/rtb Call the staff for your password to the site. them. Read by Nancy Felknor. Nine broadcasts. Began Dec. 8.

Chautauqua • Tuesday – Saturday 4 a.m.

The Little Book that Saves Your Assets, Nonfiction by David M. Darst, 2008. When others are struggling, the affluent seem to do just fine. How? Two words: asset allocation. Read by Sally Browne. Seven broadcasts. Begins Dec. 31.

Off the Shelf • Monday – Friday 10 p.m.

Shadow and Light, Fiction by Jonathan Rabb, 2009. In 1927, an investigation into a suicide leads to Berlin’s sex and drug trade, the rise of Hitler, and monarchy restoration. L - Read by Arlan Dohrenburg. 16 broadcasts. Begins Dec. 16.

Past is Prologue • Monday – Friday 9 a.m.

Levittown, Nonfiction by David Kushner, 2008. After World War II, the Levitt family helped thousands buy a home of their own. But owners had to be white. In 1957, one family helped another buy into the neighborhood. Read by Fred Lyon. 11 broadcasts. Begins Dec. 10.

Evening Odyssey • Monday – Friday 11 p.m.

The Way through Doors, Fiction by Jesse Ball, 2009. Selah Morse rushes an accident victim to the hospital. She’s lost her memory and ID. Told by the doctor to keep her awake, he tells her stories. Read by Peter Danbury. Seven broadcasts. Begins Dec. 28.

Bookworm • Monday – Friday 11 a.m.

The School of Essential Ingredients, Fiction by Erica Bauermeister, 2009. Students gather monthly for a class at Lillian’s restaurant. Over time, their paths mingle and the essence of the cooking expands into their lives. Read by Bernadette Flynn. Seven broadcasts. Begins Dec. 28.

Good Night Owl • Monday – Friday midnight City of Refuge, Fiction by Tom Piazza, 2008. Katrina affected the Williams and Donaldson families, but they have different options. One family is black, the other white. L - Read by John Marsicano. 13 broadcasts. Began Dec. 7.

Potpourri • Monday – Friday 2 p.m.

Crazy Good, Nonfiction by Charles Leerhsen, 2008. A hundred years ago, the most famous athlete in America was a horse, Dan Patch. But he was also a cultural icon, an unattractive, small, slightly deformed horse who just happened to be a winner. The nation’s infatuation with Dan Patch faded with the

should be treated for their exposure.

The armed forces, “are highly disturbed with the violence, including the domestic violence and suicide upon reentry of veterans,” said Miles.

“They’re working on a variety of means to both make the reentry better and also to ef-

After Midnight • Tuesday – Saturday 1 a.m.

Swallowing Darkness, Fiction by Laurell K. Hamilton, 2008.

Meredith is a princess of faerie and pregnant. She’s next in line for the throne and has many enemies. She’ll do anything to protect what is hers. L,S - Read by Pat Kovel-Jarboe. 13 broadcasts. Begins Dec. 14.

Abbreviations: V: violence, L: offensive language, S: sexual situations

Visit our website: www.jmm-cpa.com 33 10th Avenue South, Suite 200 Hopkins, MN 55343 952-935-6868 fax: 952-935-7940

14

December 10, 2009

EVENTS -

Cont. from p. 10

trum disorder or FASD Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) can join a caregiver’s support group organized by Arc Greater Twin Cities. The free group meets on the first Tuesday of each month from

10:00 – 11:30 a.m. at Arc Greater Twin Cities, 2446 University Ave. W., Suite 110, St. Paul and at 6-8 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month at Sabathani Community Center, 310 E. 38th St.,

PERFORM Cont. from p. 11

Mpls. The group is an opportunity for participants to support one another, share successful parenting techniques, discuss the challenges and hopes of raising a child with FASD, and become better educated about the disorder. The FASD Relative Caregivers Support Group is sponsored

by Arc Greater Twin Cities and the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Regional Network. FFI: Janet Salo, 952920-0855

103 7th St. NE, Rochester.

ASL: TBA. Tix: $20; student/ senior discount; Phone: 507289-1737; E-mail: BoxOffice @RochesterRep.org Web: www.RochesterRep.org Help others manage finances RSVP/Volunteers of America Rock ‘n Roll of Minnesota and AARP FounJan. 15 - Feb. 7 dation need volunteers with Park Square Theatre, 408 Saint good budgeting and organizaPeter St., St. Paul. AD & ASL: tional skills to help manage Sat., Jan. 30, 7:30 p.m. Tix: finances of older or disabled Reduced to half-price low-income individuals. Have ($18.50); Phone: 651-291- a few hours a month to volun7005. Web: www.parksquare theatre.org

PARKING -

teer? Money Management Program staff will train and match you with someone in the community. FFI: Money Management Program Coordinator, 612-617-7821 Be a literacy volunteer Last year, Minnesota Literacy Council volunteers helped more than 24,000 adults achieve their learning goals. Tutor immigrants, refugees and life-long Minnesotans in reading, writing and English. Tutor one-to-one, in a small group or as a classroom assistant. Training, ongoing support provided. Opportunities are available throughout Minnesota. FFI: 651-645-2277, ext 219., volunteer@theMLC.org ■

Cont. from p. 3

wide access aisle. It will The Light in the Piazza take some time for all the Jan. 22 - Feb. 21 disability parking in the Bloomington Civic Theatre at state to be redesigned, so Bloomington Center for the be patient.

Arts Schneider Theater, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Rd. ASL: Thurs., Feb. 4, 7:30 p.m. (ASL • Do not park on the striped access aisles in between seats are held until 7 days bethe parking spaces. The fore show; if no requests are access aisles are used by received the ASL will be canindividuals who use mobilcelled) AD: Fri., Feb. 5, 7:30 ity devices, such as walkers p.m. Tix: Reduced to $18 (reg. and wheelchairs. Individu$25, senior $22, student $19); als need that space to be Phone: 952-563-8575 Web: unobstructed so that they www.bloomingtoncivictheatre.org can get into and out of their vehicles. When someone parks incorrectly, and parks on the striped area, they need to know that not only is it inconsiderate, but that person could get a ticket for obstructing disability parking for someone else.

• Do not drive with the disability parking certificate hanging from your rear view mirror. It is against the law to drive with the certificate obstructing your view. Look closely; it states this directly on the certifi-

cate and yet every day I see people doing it. Last summer I received a call from a motorcycle rider who was almost killed when another driver pulled his car out in front of the oncoming motorbike. When asked, the driver of the car simply said he didn’t see the motorbike; the certificate was obstructing his view. It does happen. Get into the habit of taking the certificate off the rear view mirror when you’re driving and putting it up when you park.

If we practice being responsible and follow the guidelines above, disability parking will be more available to the drivers with disabilities who need these spaces. For more information on laws regarding disability parking, please feel free to contact Margot Imdieke Cross at 651-361-7800 (v/tty), 1-800-945-8913 (v/tty) or margot.imdieke@state.mn.us Minnesota State Council on Disability. ■

Skyway dispute to be resolved?

by Jane McClure A dispute over encroachment upon a downtown St. Paul skyway could be settled this month. The St. Paul City Attorney’s Office and NEA Galtier have asked a group of St. Paul residents for more time to resolve the issue. A response is expected Dec. 18.

At issue is how the city has allowed the Cray computer firm to encroach upon the skyway area of Galtier Plaza in downtown St. Paul. Four St. Paul residents and business owners sued the city last month, alleging that the city has illegally given Cray skyway space that actually belongs to the public.

The skyways are a public easement through buildings and above streets in downtown St. Paul. Cray recently relocated its workers from Mendota Heights to Galtier Plaza, now known as Cray Plaza, 380 Jackson St. The four plaintiffs in the case are John Mannillo, a downtown building own and community activist; downtown resident and disability advocate Rick Cardenas; Lowertown Foods store owner Elizabeth Frederick and Jeanne Hall, a downtown resident.

The four contend that two sections of skyway space in Galtier Plaza have been improperly given away. One is a stretch of skyway that has been cut off from public use for at lest 10 years. The other is a skyway section leading from Galtier to the downtown YMCA. The four allege that the skyway was narrowed by several inches to provide space for Cary. A third concern, raised at a November press conference, is that Cray officials are apparently posting at least one skyway seating area as private space.

“The precedent is what we are having a real problem with,” said Mannillo. He has been involved with development of skyway policies for many years, as a building owner and longtime member of the downtown CapitolRiver Council. He said if the city starts allowing building owners and tenants to encroach upon the skyway, access will be much more difficult for everyone. “It would be like giving away chunks of the sidewalk. We’re talking about public property.”

Cardenas said the narrowness of the skyway in Galtier makes it difficult for people in wheelchairs to pass through the area. “It’s hard for one chair to get through there, let alone for two chairs to pass,” he said.

The legal complaint calls for NEA Galtier to pay the city rent for the 600 square feet of sidewalk space that were taken away.

City officials contend that they acted properly in issuing the building permit for the work along the skyway. The City Attorney’s Office issued a statement saying they believe the city acted properly.

Department of Safety and Inspections (DSI) Director Bob Kessler has said that the amount of space approved for the remodeling is smaller than what Cray had originally requested. The company had planned to display a computer in the skyway but dropped those plans. That meant less skyway space was needed.

Kessler also indicated that the city would look into the issue raised about the skyway connection that was closed several years ago. ■

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Cont. from p. 6

Feb. 1: Hennepin County; March 1: Ramsey and Washington counties; May 1: Dakota County In November Metropolitan Council approved a five-year contract for Transit Link service in Hennepin County to Midwest Paratransit Services Inc. The new contract will take effect on Feb. 1, in conjunction with the restructuring of dial-a-ride services region-wide. It is the first contract awarded for the new Transit Link service. Midwest Paratransit currently provides dial-a-ride service for 26 communities in Hennepin County.

[Source: Metropolitan Council]

UCare expands into two more counties UCare’s Minnesota Senior Health Options (MSHO) program is expanding to Chippewa and Otter Tail counties in western Minnesota. UCare’s MSHO is a voluntary, no-cost health care program for seniors age 65 and older who are enrolled in Medical Assistance, and Medicare Parts A and B. UCare (www.ucare.org) is an independent, nonprofit health plan providing health care and administrative services to more than 180,000 members UCare’s MSHO enrollees are assigned a care coordinator who helps them get their heath care and related support services. The program integrates Medicaid and Medicare benefits into one package for older Minnesotans. The program also offers Part D prescription drug coverage, free membership and no monthly dues at the YMCA, a Strong & Stable Kit to improve balance, and dental benefits.

“We are excited to expand UCare’s MSHO coverage to more Minnesotans in Chippewa and Otter Tail counties,” said Nancy Feldman, UCare’s President and CEO. “Since we began offering MSHO more than ten years ago, we have seen how this innovative program improves the health of low-income seniors with complex medical needs. The one-on-one assistance of a care coordinator and the strong set of benefits help our MSHO members continue to live independently.”

UCare contracts with the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to offer the MSHO program. It currently serves approximately 9,300 Minnesotans in 55 counties across Minnesota. DHS contracts with nine health maintenance organizations to offer MSHO in the state; currently, there are approximately 37,000 MSHO members in 83 of 87 Minnesota counties.

UCare’s MSHO is currently available in Aitkin, Anoka, Benton, Blue Earth, Carlton, Carver, Cass, Chisago, Cottonwood, Crow Wing, Dakota, Dodge, Faribault, Fillmore, Hennepin, Houston, Isanti, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Kittson, Lac Qui Parle, Le Sueur, Lincoln, Lyon, Marshall, Martin, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Mower, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Norman, Olmsted, Pennington, Pine, Polk, Ramsey, Red Lake, Redwood, Rice, Rock, Roseau, St. Louis, Sherburne, Stearns, Swift, Todd, Wabasha, Wadena, Washington, Watonwan, Winona, Wright, and Yellow Medicine counties.

[Source: UCare]

Disabled vet sues McDonald’s for $10 million A disabled veteran who inspired Sen. Al Franken’s first legislative victory—a service dog program for disabled veterans—is suing McDonald’s for $10 million after allegedly being harassed, beaten, and told that he couldn’t take his service dog inside a fast food restaurant in New York City. Luis Carlos Montalvan, a former Army captain who was wounded in Iraq, said he was confronted by restaurant workers on two separate visits, and beaten with garbage can lids on a third when he returned with a camera in hand. Franken, in an e-mail message

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to Montalvan last week, called it an “awful, bizarre story.”

A spokeswoman for McDonald’s USA said the matter is under investigation and that the company could not comment further, other than to say that McDonald’s takes pride in making its restaurants accessible to all customers, “including those with service animals.”

Montalvan, 36, of Brooklyn, filed suit Oct. 28, a week after Congress approved Franken’s provision establishing a pilot program to pair 200 wounded veterans with service dogs from nonprofit agencies. In championing the legislation, Franken cited Montalvan and his service dog, Tuesday, whom he had met in a chance encounter at a presidential inaugural ball in Washington.

Franken said that the incident underscores the problems of returning veterans. “Captain Montalvan made great sacrifices fighting for our country in Iraq,” Franken said. “I’m not entirely familiar with the facts of this case, but what I do know underscores both the need to help our returning veterans and to raise awareness and increase access for service dogs.” Montalvan served two tours of duty in Iraq, suffering wounds in a knife and hand grenade attack that left him with spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injuries, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Tuesday, his service dog, is a golden retriever who helps him with balance, mobility and emotional support.

Montalvan’s suit alleges violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act in a series of events that began last December, several weeks after he completed service dog training. Visiting a McDonald’s in Brooklyn, Montalvan said several employees told him “pets” were not allowed. Even after he pointed to the dog’s red service vest, he said various McDonald’s employees, including a manager, continued to “glare” at him, inducing a panic attack. He complained and was told measures would be taken to address the service dog issues. But he returned in January to be told by another manager that no dogs were allowed. The manager reportedly left after Montalvan directed him to read the sign. Montalvan returned with a camera two days later to find the restaurant closed because of health code violations. He says that when he tried to take pictures, two unidentified McDonald’s workers confronted him and beat him with plastic garbage can lids.

[Source: Star Tribune]

individuals.” Opportunity Partners would like to enroll 75 students in the program, which will begin next spring. Staff is to be trained by early 2010.

Julie McConaha, assistant director of learning and development at Opportunity Partners, said that between last February and May, staff at Opportunity Partners and Dunwoody determined that participant training must focus on skills the workers need to meet employer requirements. That will give participants a better chance of being placed in a job.

Opportunity Partners projects it needs to raise a minimum of $200,000 per year for the next three years for the program.

The curriculum will include four “learning platforms” where training incrementally tackles more difficult skills. Individuals will have the opportunity to learn each track within a platform, which will work like chapters in a book. With each task in a track, a checklist of required steps is taught to the student. The courses don’t include lectures or homework. Lessons will focus on applied learning, Anderson said.

[Source: Star Tribune]

PEOPLE/PLACES - Cont. from p. 7 receive this quarter’s Outstanding Business Award. The award recognizes businesses in New Hope for noteworthy accomplishments, including providing outstanding community service.

The Arc’s Value Village has generated nearly $16 million on behalf of The Arc and the

people it serves, thanks to generous donations from the community. Revenue from the sale of donated items helps fund The Arc Greater Twin Cities’ programs for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. ■

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Partnership to provide training Chad Creager trained 45-year-old Marc Moorvitch how to safely use a Tennant auto scrubber for cleaning floors. “He’s a fast learner,” said the manager of employment services at Opportunity Partners, a Minnetonka-based nonprofit organization that helps people with disabilities live, learn and work as independently as possible.

In the past, Moorvitch’s training with the industrial machine wouldn’t have gained him a formal job certification. But in a collaboration between Opportunity Partners and Dunwoody College of Technology, participants like Moorvitch will be trained using Dunwoody curricula and gain certification for jobs at the same time, while ensuring that their skills training meets the specific needs of employers and industry standards.

Mike Anderson, director of custom training at Dunwoody, said the partnership works because Opportunity Partners and Dunwoody are “two similar organizations that improve life for

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The Disability Specialist provides or arranges for reasonable accommodations for all staff and faculty with disabilities, medical conditions or injury. Ongoing consultation is provided to supervisors, departments and employees. This position works closely with Human Resources to coordinate return to work efforts following FMLA , disability leave or work comp injury. This position provides outreach and training related to services provided. This position is housed on the University of Minnesota Duluth campus and occasional travel Seward Square Apartments: to other campuses is required.

We are currently accepting applications for our waiting If you are interested in working for a progressive, integrated list for barrier-free housing, in return-to-work office, please apply online at: Minneapolis, that is federally http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/employment, requisition #163684. subsidized. For an applicaThe University of Minnesota is an tion, please call 612-338-2680.

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December 10, 2009

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